Job Discussion Forums

[kev7161]

Okay, this is the time of year when a lot of new people start coming to China. Some will only come for a temporary summer job. If this is you, then this thread has no meaning to you. Come on your tourist visa as advised by the summer camp contact and have a good time.

Others will be here from 6 months to a year or longer. There is a sticky about visas, Foreign Experts Certificates (FEC) , and Foreigner Residence Permits (FRP) just above on the first page. Here's the link:

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=26047&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

But after 6 pages of postings, some of the advice is getting a bit muddied. The comments below, to be fair, are IN GENERAL as 'this is China' and things are not always consistent from one province (nay, one CITY) to the next. If your school is hemming and hawing and not doing what they are supposed to do, then you need to question whether or not you want to work for this school. Be prepared financially to move on if need be. Most legitimate schools can get this stuff done within a couple week's time. Don't let them tell you different. DON'T let them keep your passport or FEC for an extended period of time. You need both items for your own personal business (exchanging money, traveling, etc.) and there's always a good chance your school will lose or misplace the documents and then what would you do?

1. Technically and legally, you should arrive in China on a Z visa if you want to work here. Of course there are stories of people coming on a F or L visa, but Z visa is the most desired. You should request your Z visa to be valid at least 90 days if you are arriving anywhere from a month to a few days before your start date. This gives your school plenty of time to convert the visa into . . .

2. A Foreigner's Residence Permit: It looks almost like that square Z visa sticker that took up a whole page in your passport. This one will also take up another whole page (why they can't paste them on top of each other is beyond me!). The FRP allows you to live legally in China during the length specified on it. Make sure it doesn't expire until AT LEAST your contract ending date, but try and get your school to extend it beyond that by a month or more if you can. That way you can travel a bit if you'd like or have time to find another job and start the process over. The FRP also allows you to come and go as you please. Really nice during those long holidays we get throughout the year. By "come and go" I mean exit and enter the country at will - - much like a multi-entry Z visa would do. My contract ended on June 30th and my FRP was shown to expire on August 31st, so it can be done. I've since renewed my contract so they'll extend it later to next August 31st (2007).

3. Foreign Expert's Certificate: This is a seperate little red booklet that shows where you are legally working in China. If you leave your job midstream, then your next school would have to apply for and get your new FEC. This book will allow you to "easily" (HA!!) exchange money at your local main Bank of China and it makes good ID if you don't want to carry your passport everywhere you go (although, truth be told, I never carry my passport or FEC and have never had a need to!).

Now that I've typed all of this, I'm sure there will be plenty of exceptions to the "rules" above and that is to be expected. Remember, these are just general guidelines. Beware of lying schools (they DO exist) or confused FAOs. Before you even come to China, it would be a good idea to ask your prospective new school about the above documents and keep those emails if you need to refer to them in the future. Good luck and welcome to China!

[tw]

Good job Kev!